Raw Stages: New Works Festival at History Theatre

Take part in a new script’s first brave steps from the page to the stage!

History Theatre regularly commissions new work and has produced over 115 world premieres since 1978. The RAW STAGES: New Works Festival is an opportunity for YOU to get an inside look at the script development process and provide feedback for the playwrights. RAW STAGES consists of four staged readings of scripts-in-progress, directed and performed by professional artists. 

Following each reading, audiences will be invited to join a live talkback with the artistic team and cast.

The readings will be performed in the Auditorium at History Theatre, 30 E. 10th Street, St. Paul. All readings are general admission. 

Cost: $30 for All Access Pass to attend any reading / $15 for individual readings

THE KIM LOO SISTERS-Wednesday, January 18, 7:30 pm

A musical by Jessica Huang, Music by Jacinth Greywoode, Directed by Lily Tung Crystal, In collaboration with Theater Mu, Music Director Jason Hansen
 
The musical depicts the real-life story of the Kim Loo Sisters, a hapa (mixed-race Asian) girl group from Minneapolis who sang four-part harmony on Broadway during the deeply xenophobic 1930s. The musical will juxtapose the Hollywood glamour of the 1930s with the darker realities for artists of color at that time and imagines what could have been if these talented musicians were given an equal shot.

THE BOY WONDER Thursday, January 19, 7:30 pm

Book, music and lyrics by Keith Hovis, Directed by Laura Leffler, Musical Direction by Amanda Weiss

An insurrection, political gridlock, and a nation divided by fear and hate speech. In 1938, Harold Stassen defied Republican party leaders and launched a grassroots campaign to become the youngest governor in Minnesota history. From his attempts to unite the state to his role in forming the United Nations, Stassen dedicated his life to building a better country. This musical by writer-composer Keith Hovis examines a time in our history that is not much different than today and asks: Who will stand up for our democracy?

THE BETTY CROCKER MUSICAL Saturday, January 21, 2:00 pm

by Cristina Luzarraga, Music by Denise Prosek, Musical Direction by Sonja Thompson
 
This new musical explores the ever-changing roles of women over the last century through the lens of Betty Crocker, America’s First Lady of Food.  “Born” in 1921 to the company that would become General Mills, Betty was a marketing invention––not a real person––but she came to represent far more than just flour. In 1945, Fortune Magazine named Betty Crocker the 2nd most popular woman in America. Originally depicted as a white, blue-eyed, middle-aged homemaker, Betty morphed over time as society grappled with questions of ethnicity and women’s role in American society. As a radio personality, a letter-writing confidante, a cheerleader and a scold, Betty taught a nation how to “add an egg" and much, much more.

THE JAMES MEREDITH PROJECT  Sunday, January 22, 2:00 pm

by Harrison David Rivers, Directed by JuCoby Johnson
 
In the fall of 1962, 29-year-old James Meredith’s admission to the racially segregated University of Mississippi triggered a 15-hour riot, spurred by a mob of three thousand whites from across the South. Henry Gallagher, an entry-level commissioned officer from Minnesota, served as the head of his security detail. Based on Gallagher’s memoir James Meredith and the Ole Miss Riot and Meredith’s Three Years in Mississippi, The James Meredith Project will tell the story of this milestone in Civil Rights history in the words of the two men – one Black and one white – at the center of the moment.